Barney's Blog

Blog archive

Open Document Format Not So Open, Not So Great

The Open Document Format (ODF) is a terrific concept: a single file format that can be used by productivity apps and more, and allows for easy sharing -- even with Microsoft Office. That's the promise.

The reality ain't so hot. A leading advocate of ODF now says it isn't living up to its promises, isn't so great at interoperability, and thus not so great at application migration. All this is leading former ODF proponents to suggest a newer format, the Complex Document Format (CDF).

Hey, if that's what it takes to get a nice, common file format, I'm happy to wait for CDF to take hold.

Posted by Doug Barney on November 05, 2007


Featured

  • World Map Image

    Microsoft Taps Nebius in $17B AI Infrastructure Deal To Alleviate Cloud Strain

    Microsoft has signed a five-year, $17.4 billion agreement with Amsterdam-based Nebius Group to expand its AI computing capabilities through third-party GPU infrastructure.

  • Microsoft Brings Copilot AI Into Viva Engage

    Microsoft 365 Copilot in Viva Engage is now generally available, extending Copilot's AI-powered assistant capabilities deeper into the Viva platform.

  • MIT Finds Only 1 in 20 AI Investments Translate into ROI

    Despite pouring billions into generative AI technologies, 95 percent of businesses have yet to see any measurable return on investment.

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.